‘Shy and elusive’ sea creature — with unusual ‘snow-white’ coloring — seen in Holland
Scott Campbell and Ian Rutter were on the water off the coast of Holland when they noticed something peculiar diving through the waves.
It was “extremely rare” white harbor porpoise, according to a July 28 Facebook post from ORCA, a nonprofit organization that says it’s “dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises and their habitats worldwide.” Only 35 sightings of the unusual creatures have ever been reported.
Campbell and Rutter, who are marine workers, quickly pulled out their phones to film the “snow-white” creature as it zoomed through the North Sea, ORCA said in an Instagram post.
Harbor porpoises are “shy and elusive,” but they are seen regularly in the North Sea between the Netherlands and northeast England, ORCA experts said. Campbell and Rutter’s sighting was so unusual because the porpoise was white, indicating that it likely has leucism.
Leucism is a condition caused by a defect in pigment cell differentiation that typically manifests in reduced melanin production, according to ORCA. Evidence indicates that cetaceans — marine mammals — with leucism can survive well, often better than expected.
The last recorded sighting of a white harbor porpoise was in the U.K. in 2016, the post said. Nearly half of the other 35 reported cases have been in the northeast Atlantic.
Social media users shared their excitement about the sighting.
“What a rare sighting,” one person commented. “Well done for filming it. Amazing.”
“Fantastic,” another person wrote on Facebook.
This story was originally published August 15, 2023 at 8:59 AM with the headline "‘Shy and elusive’ sea creature — with unusual ‘snow-white’ coloring — seen in Holland."
